Process of purifying gases.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

G.' SAALER. PROCESS OP PURIFYING GASES.-

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 27. 1906.

UNITED STATES GFFICE.

GUsTAv sLiALER, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROGESS .OF PURIFYING GASES.

Specification o f Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907. A

Application {ller} December 27,1906. Serial No. 8493692.

.To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, GUs'rAv SAALER, a sub-I 'ct ofthe German Emperor, residinfr at Nework city, in the county of New fork and State `of New York, have invented new and' useful Improvements in Processes for Purifying Gases, of which the following is a specification.y

My invention is a process for purifying combustible gases so that they can be used in gas en ines, and is particularly adapted to be applic as a continuous process to the purifying or washing of such gases in large quantities, for instance, as they come from blast furnaces, or other furnaces, and is so effective that thereby it is even possible to purify illuminating and producer gas practically perfectly.

My process consists first and as an initial step in cooling and thoroughly moistening the gas by passing it through a water shower, second 1n passing'througha stream of spray, which is being continually broken up into i fine spray or water-mist and driven directly means, such as a drum carryin 4 water.

against the stream of gas by any suitable inclined wings and rotated in an inclosing shell, whereby thesaturation of the gas with water is insured and the heavier impurities extracted, third by forcing the gas successively through a plurality of veils or sheets of the water-mist so formed te extract the lighter impurities, and finally in drying the gas to Vthe .necessary extent, by separating the greater part of the moisture by said centrifugalforce, whereby also perfect extractin of the impurities is-i'nsured. It willbe un erstood that the gas is continuously and rapidly forced through the entire apparatus and subjected to all steps of the process in turn b any suitable power, such as a fan, and is a ways moving in an opposite direction to the The result of my process is a practically ierfect purification, which before has ybeen e ected only imperfectly and to deliver alsupply' of such cleaned gas to the engine uniformly purified and at a constant pressure,

whereb the necessity of a gas-holder is -lavoidel This initial step of simultaneously moisteningandcooling) the gas, is veryimportant because, there steam later,l in thelprocess is avoided which would tend to carry'forward lie impurities into theengine `and because the impurities are therebysaturated 'with the' water and made heavier, or, to some extent, dissolved y. the production of y and the gas in or combined with the water, so that they are separated out by the centrifugal action of the machine. It thus makes easier the moistening of the gas in the second and third steps of the process. This preliminary moistening is also important because it promotes the purifying 0f the gases in the earlier part of the process and the centrifugal machine,

leaving the last part of the process for drying or separating out the water. Therefore it will be understood that the more completely the gases can be initially cooled and moistened the better. Also as an incidental advantage, a substantial portion of the heavier impurities are washed out in this initial step, lea-vino' less of the purification to be accomplished later in the process and the machine.

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed lto wash gases by forcing them through a rotary gas Washer, in which a stream of water was broken up and driven in the opposite direction to the stream of gas, by means of s irally arranged wings on the exterior of a rum rotating within a casing. But such lmachines and rocesses have proved-unsuccessful in practice because the gases, entering the gas washer in a heated conition converted more or less of the water into steam, whereby more or less of the fine dust and tar were carried forward into the pipes and the gas engine, seriously impeding, and often entirely stopping the engine. It has been said that it was desirable to -introduce the gas into the washer as hot as ossible, lb ut this is absolutely wrong. '.hese

-prior processes also were unsuccessful bes purities, were constantly accumulating in the Even where this washer andfclogging it. clogging ldid not absolutely block .the machine, yet it .caused a constantv variation in the ressure rendering-a gas holder necessary in all these old processes. Whereas in my process the lpressure is absolutely constant older is not necessary for regu.-

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lating the pressurel (though often it is con venient for storing the cleaned gas).

A desirable mechanism for practicing my y process is shown in the drawingvherewith in which the reference letters of the descri tion indicate the corresponding parts in the ifferent views.

Figure 1 shows the cooler conveniently arranged in combination with the washer-the cooler in vertical, v longitudinal section and the washer in vertical cross section. Fi 2 is a vertical cross section vof the washer ta ren at a right angle to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the drum detached. In the drawing, A indicates the gas cooler and B the gas washer. ably formed of a metal cylinder C- suitably supported on legs or brackets D and having 1 its open lower end extending into a Water-seal E from whi ch the water flows away in a channel or pipe F, and having its upper end closed by a cover H.

K is a sprinkler having a plurality of nozzles J suppliedthrough pipe G having valve L withwater from any suitable source of supl p 3(Y) are valves for more or less of the separate nozzles,'to control, regulateand distribute the water. The hot gases enter the cylinder through i e N, over which is arranged a conical shiel spreading the g'as and forcing it to pass through .the water flowing over the edges of the shield, ,thus giving up heat The cooler is desir,

initially and .the heavier impurities are precipitated into the water seal. The ases thence pass up into the cylinder throng the contracted central o ening in the circumferential inclined sh v,f Q, passing a second 'time through a circular stre am'of water, to be further cooled, moistened and incidentally cleansed. In the upper part of the cylinder the gases are further cooled and moistened' to the necessary degree -in the dense shower of By this arrangement the greatcold water. esteffect of the cooling water is obtained and the gases are pre are as aforesaid inthe proper condition or the remaining steps of recess. The circular streams of Water 1n t e bottom of the cooler, are somewhat 'warmed and dirty above, but are useful as' aforesaid.

The cooled'and moistened gas passes from the cooler through pipes M andR to enlarged junction S its course being turned an angle, itis slightly checked -so that the heavier imurities are not carried into the Washer but all by gravity into thewater seal 16l whence the may be removed from time to time, and all an er of clogging the washer at this point avoided. At the top of pi e R may be arranged a second sprinkler fl? further to cool, meisten and clean the gas.

-The washer consists of a casing 1, cylindrical, or tapering from larger at front or gas admission end to smaller at rear or exit end,

lects in the fan casing,

or other means, for ap lication of ower, and f carrying the rotating ruin 11, cy indrical in form, or tapering to correspond .with the casy ing, which is provided on'its exterior with wings a ci a2, b b2, arranged inclined (or spirally) to throw the water centrifugally and to drive it in the reverse direction to the iiow of the gas. The interior of the casing isprovided with strips 9 forming projections, to check the film of water owing around in contact with the casing and to bring it in proximity to the wings', whereby the Wateris continually being broken up, forming a pluk rality of showers or veils ofv water flowing over the rear edges of the wings through which the gas is forced to pass. The effect of the wings is also'constantly to return the impurities mixed with the water-mist to said solid film, which is constantly flowing toward the front and the Water dutl'et, in the channels formed between the'strips, carrying out the impurities.

The wings are referably arranged as shown, at the front liess inclinedto the axis, and being gradually more inclined toward the rear, and in two series of alternately arranged sets of differentvi-nclinations, whereby at the front their effect is more centrifugal and less to 'force the Water longitudinally, whereby there is the greatestv formation of fine water-mist andadniixture thereof with the gas to unite with the impurities and then deliver'thein into the film ofwa'ter on the inner surface of the shell constantly flowing forward; but toward the reaLthe lreverse,

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less centrifugal' and more longitudinal effect,

and effecting practically perfect cleansing of the gas before it passes out to the engine.

0n the shaft or drum is arranged in the enlarged end 20 of the casing the fan 21 to draw the gases through the cooler and the` washer and to deliver them through the out let to the delivery pipe by which they are,

conducted to theengine or elsewhere usefully to be consumed.

13 is the-water 'inlet and 16 a seal to receive the dirty water. 29 is a second water seal to receive from pipe 30 the drip of the trifling amount of-water that's'ometimes colparticularly when the machine is stopped.

The term water-mist is used here to distinguish the finest spray formed bymechanical means from-vapor or steam formed by heat.

.In thecooler only the coarse spray, like rain,

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.yo ranged.- at the circumference' and below, it.

moistened the cooler, for the purposes de` scribed.' `As it reaches the inlet to the washer, its direction is changed to separate out by some of the im urities, and then, imm l ately at the inlet into the Washer, ar-

' -meetsa downpour or shower of water mist driven forcibly in exactly the o posite digases, W erehy the rection tothe entering and more im urities gas is further moistene are se arated out.` It will be un erstood relates that f this preliminarycleansin though more to the coarser impurities, an

. 1 such. cleansing effect is only partial, it is iinportant, to prevent the entranceof those coarser im urities into the Washer so far as possiblew 'ch avoids the danger of clogging the washerl and increases its efficiency, permitting'the use of the smallest'size washer with theminimum of. Water, and the com letion of the process in the shortest time. or

as large quantities of gases are being treated,

they must be washed not onl perfectly, but uickly and economically. he gas is being awn through the entire apparatus often at a speed .of500" perl minute or more. After the gas has entered the washer, Vit is throughout the entire length thereof being subjected I to the cleansing action ofthe sheets of waterinist; thismist is constantly being formed byy the win s and constantly being returned centrifuga y thereby, carrying with it the impurities it has absorbedor saturated into the water film constantly. flowing toward the front between the str ips.l Toward the front of the machine the greatest cleansin effect is constantly going on, but toward t e rear the effect is more that of seplaratingout the water and drfing4 the as;- or effects ro uced in t e washer are de end# ent on an made ossibleb'y the preliminary step of cooling an moistening and of precipitating the coarser iin urities.

Having thus descri ed my invention, what I claim asinew and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-- l

1. The herein described process of cleansing lgases Whichconsists in first cooling the g'as and then drawing it through a stream of water, which is being driven in an opposite direction to the movementof the gas, and simultaneously being broken up into waterinist. i

2. The herein' describedprocess of cleansing gases, which consists in first cooling and moistening the as, by drawing it. through a falling shower o nwater and then com leting the' cleansing of the as by forci it tliirough a stream of water, W ch-isfbeing riven in an opposite direction to the gas and simultanehese two steps ,beingdriven by a force which moves' it both centrifugally and longitudinally, vin a direc-4 -tion opposite to theiiow of the gas and simultaneously breaks up the 'water into Watermist to a largeextent, the direction 0f,the flow of the gas being changed at the entrance to the second chamber, and the force being applied 'to the water adjacent to the end of the second chamber so as to hreak it up and drive it centrifugally to agreater extent and to force it'forward to less extent to coinmingle the water-mist with the gas, but adjacent to the opposite end of the chamber, less to force the water centrifugallyand more to force it forwardly, wherebyv the Water par.- ticles and impurities are separated fromthe gas and the gas dried.

4. The herein described process of thor{ oughly washing gases for gas engines which consists, continuously and successively in cooling and moistening the gas and Washing out the heavy impurities bv first forcing the gas through a shower of falling water and then through a stream of water broken up into the finest spray and driven substantially in the opposite direction to the gas, and then washing out the fine im urities by forcing the gas through a plurality of sheets of the line spray. i

5. A continuous process for thoroughly cleansing gases for the gas engine, which consists in forcing or drawing the gas rapidly forward so as to be subjected to the various ste s`of the process in rapid succession, as

fol ows, first cooling and moistening the gas andprecipitating some of the coaiser impilrities by subjectingthe gas to a shower oi cool Water, then changing the direction of the flow ofgas and subjecting it to a stream of water broken up into the finest spray and driven in exactly the opposite direction to -the flow of the gas,.to further precipitate the heavier impurities and to further cool and inoisten the Uas, and finally subjecting the as to a plurality of sheets of said fine spray,

4 ormed within a film of water, said spray being formed by centrifugal force, whereby the spray mixed with impurities is constantly being forced centrifugally into the water film and the water film forced rearwardly to carry -od the impurities.

6. The herein described process of wasliing gases for as engines, which consists continuously and in succession in iirst cooling and moisteninfr a shower of falling water, then changing its led with a falling spray of Water,v

@as inlet" roov the gas by forcing it through :fine impurities by stent-lv beinT driven centri alla' through a stream of Water subdivided into the finest spray and driven directly in the op? posite direction to the ras, and meisten the gas an( heavier impurities,

iurther'to cool to precipitate the and then Washing out the forcing,r the gas'through a plurality of sheets of the fine spray.

7. ln a' process 'for cleaning gases, the method of washing out the finer impurities which consists in orcing the gas throughs chamber, and simultaneously maintaining a 'iilinof Wetter in the chamber around the gas, forcing the Water 'forward in the opposite direction to the gas'and breaking up the water'by centrifugal force, whereby a plurality of sheets of Water-mist are formed, through which the gas is -forced to pass, and the Water-1nist mixed with the iin r11-ities are conugally into the film.

l l l l 1 l l opposite direction comprising a series 8. The herein described process of cleaning gas that consists as a continuous process in forcing the gas rapidly forward and sub- ]ecting it to the eiect of water moving 1n the of steps as follows: irst subjecting the gas to falling streams of cold water, then to a falling shower of cold Water, then changing the direction oi' the flow of the gas at n sharp angle, then subjecting the gas to a stream of Water-inist driven forcibly against the gas, then passing the gas through e plurality of sheets of Water-mist, then separating the moisture from the gas.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. l

GUSTAV SAALE R.

Titnesses 1 ALFRED WrLKrNsoN, l

R. MILLWARD.

t'o the gas, the' process. 

